Complete Eastern Brisshal Whistle While You Work

[Ru Ning]

"Many thanks, grans. This smells wonderful!"

Seated outside a small bakery in Honeyhome, a pale and battle scarred Lepis sat contently as he munched upon a freshly baked cinnamon roll. Steam rose gingerly from a warm mug of mint tea, neglected for the most part as his eyes remained fixated to a piece of parchment before him. Though he had already done the leg work in charting out their course for this journey, a final check had never hurt. Once reassured of the itinerary, he'd nod with approval.

Still waiting for his three companions to arrive, he'd set down a map and to take inventory of his satchel. The trip would take a few days at most, requiring little to nothing save for their own personal equipment. The bounty of the land was quite plentiful in Brisshal and would see to their needs if necessary. Considering the convenience and peace of mind it brought him, he had purchased several days of food and water from a local vendor, just to be safe.

The group had arranged to meet an hour past sun rise. Their goal simple. To find enough glowstone in the wilderness in order to craft their whistles at the forge. Though not exactly a rare substance, it was known to be in possession of goblins for religious purposes. Ideally they'd secure a supply through peaceful means… however considering the nature and use of this mineral, such expectations might prove a bit difficult. "Ideally we could trade them for it… but we'd have to find one of intelligence and have something of value for trade. Crossing paths with a smart goblin sounds a bit dangerous in general… the dumb ones are a bit easier to read." He'd let out a sigh while pondering on which was the better outcome.

@Sol @Bonnie Bonbon @Crimson Ruby

PS: Tagged in no particular order. Feel free to mix up the posting order later on as long as it's one per cycle.

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Hopping and skipping a bit, Ruby was quickly making her way to the meeting spot. As she neared it, she could spot the tall rabbit-eared person that was supposed to take care of the guidance. A more experienced explorer, it seemed to her.

Her ears twitched at what he was muttering, something that only confirmed what she was expecting as she approached.

"Hey. You are Ning?" Ruby swayed her tail, allowing the bells on her tail to ring gently.

She was not of the idea of 'trading' with goblins, letting out a quiet sigh and shrugging. Honestly, she wasn't really fond of the idea of 'forging' a whistle at all, why they couldn't just sell one for them? Of course, that was probably just an excuse to test them, but Ruby hoped that it wouldn't take too long.

"Trading with goblins doesn't give loot." She gave her opinion while bending to lean closer, with her eyes tracing the map he was analyzing while her Jian dangled in the sheath and her Liuqin started showing from her back.

@Bonnie Bonbon @Ru Ning @Sol (No particular order either, just alphabetical!)

 

[Bonnie Bonbon]

It had been a few days since she had first manifested as a Traveler in the game. Having gone through a blast of a time at the hands of all her mentors back in the League’s HQ, she was at least ready to go out on her own and not spontaneously perish like an unprepared newbie. A soft glint occurred every so often as light bounced off of her gold whistle; the lowest rank, but something she was still pretty proud of achieving giving the military-grade drills.

Dark steel spins in the air, a marvel of engineering far ahead of Terrasphere’s time.

Perhaps above all else, the highlight of her little training montage were the nights of sneaking behind Childress and using the forge for totally not nefarious purposes, like for example —

Making guns to kill any goblins that decided to get on her way.

‘Well, ain’t this a job in the bag…’ She walked around with a pair of revolvers that bestowed upon her the confidence to take on the world — especially considering most people still carried swords with them. With a skilfull twirl, she performed the art of spinning a deadly weapon for fun. They were handy too; point it at someone, and their reaction will most likely give away whether they’re a lander or a player.

‘Ayo, the lot of ya!’ At long last, the blonde had arrived at the small bakery, the point of rendezvous for their expedition. “I’m guessin’ you’re here for the expedition, ya? Means we only got one left. Name’s Bonnie!” Bonnie greeted them with a tip of her hat. Arms behind her head and leaning her back near a wall, the faerin listened intently to anything her companions might have said.

‘Heh. Ya sure sound like someone straight outta the adventurer’s guild thinkin’ like that, miss. A shame.’ after her sharp quip, Bonnie remained silent until the last member arrived.

 

[Sol]

When Sol came upon the opportunity for an expedition, she quickly messaged her interest without a second thought. She was still new to the Explorer's League and hadn't really done many tasks for them yet, but she was more than interested in working towards upgrading her whistle. Besides, wouldn't members of a higher rank get more opportunities with newer lands to explore? And thus, she found herself in the quaint little village of Honeyhome, quickly making her way through as she followed the scent of a bakery near by.

Glancing around the area, it was rather... Cute, obviously an easily accessible area for new players to stop by. She felt her chest grow a little fuzzy with the warmth and kindness that emanated from the surroundings- Until it disappeared with one fell sweep as a small blonde girl in front of her, who had entered the exact same building she was entering, started speaking very loud and animatedly, Sol guessed was the best word.

She winced a little bit as she walked up behind her, taking one look around the bakery before turning back towards the group, "The last one would be me, Sol," Before continuing, she paused to get a good luck at the 3. The bunny boy and the small red head she recognized, the latter less than the first, but the blonde girl she had never seen before, Not that she would be someone I would usually interact with. It was all for the point of the expedition, she told herself. She'd heard that some of the ventures could be a little dangerous, so going in packs were definitely the safer option.

"I'd prefer a more peaceful approach, if possible," Not that Sol was anything against violence, but this was a game. There had to be multiple options to any given situation, and finding out the most efficient one seemed to be the best course of action to her.

Looking away from the all once more and towards the sales post of the bakery, she spoke to the group without looking at them, "I'm just going to grab something before we leave." She quickly walked over to the front of the cash right after she said that, gesturing to the woman to pay for a bun on the go.

@Ru Ning @Crimson Ruby @Bonnie Bonbon

 

[Ru Ning]

120 / 120

Current Mood: Happy Belly

A nod of affirmation was given as Ru looked up and snapped out of his musings. Standing before him was a fiery headed woman with a penchant for violence. Not having a chance to respond, the second new comer had approached, guns twirling. His eyes twitched ever so slightly as the Lepis internally thought this might have also been the rendezvous point for an Adventurer's Guild meet up. Your words sure don't match your actions… it's like the pot calling the kettle black. With their final member approaching and ordering food for the road, he'd let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully at least one of them had a semblance of normalcy, or so he had poorly misjudged.

"Just for the record goblins are rather social creatures. The archives have documentation of their own matriarchal tribes and show that they're capable of political negotiations as well as trade agreements." Even if they do trade their own offspring… "They're more diligent than you'd suspect. Rather than looting the dead, they make their own equipment from prey… so trade is actually quite feasible if we find one that speaks our language."

He'd clear his throat once before passing each member a copy of a map. "Take a quick look over these as we head out. The League did some of the leg work and found our destination for us. Our objective is most likely at Glenwood Outpost, a little fortification that got overrun years ago." Stuffing the remains of a roll down his gullet, he'd lick his fingers gingerly before wiping his hands clean and standing up. "Judging from how the League is coddling us a bit this run, the only real expectation should be to navigate to our destination and figure out how to secure the glowstone. We'll take turns leading the way as a warm up."

Leading the group towards the village's gates, he'd look down at the map before setting off west. Periodically checking their position relative to the sun, he'd plow along till a river was spotted in the distance. "Up ahead should be Blue Rapid. If we follow it, it'll take us to Lake Horatio in the west. We can't follow it the entire way though or we'll hit Scarwoods. The doggos there can be a bit nasty. From there, the outpost is a bit further south. Who's up next?"

Rolls

Expertise Check

1d100 (56) + 10 = 66

Awareness | Ru Ning | Thread Code316C1

Cycle 1: The Journey

• Everyone take turns leading the way to Glenwood Outpost.
• Make an awareness check, DC 35 to stay on the correct path. If you don't meet it, we'll go on a little detour.
• Status: ✓[] [] []
  • 3/4 to stay on track

Play Sheet Link

@Bonnie Bonbon @Sol @Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

120 / 120

Ready for Exploration

Her attention shifted to the blondie. "Yeah, we are here for the exploration. My name is Crimson Ruby." She said, introducing herself to the girl that was quick to give her name. She crossed her arms, tilting her head. "Aren't we all adventurers at the end of the day?" She said, but perhaps they weren't wrong. She should have joined the Adventurer's Guild, but the idea of exploring and finding new things was much more interesting to her than actually looting.

She liked to loot though.

But that didn't really seem to be an option, even the third person that appeared didn't want to loot, they wanted a peaceful action.

Ruby found herself being cornered by democracy, something she wasn't really willing to argue against it. "Alright, alright. Then let's try the peaceful way. It is less dangerous after all." She said with a nod and a shrug, her ears dropping slightly along with her tail as she waited patiently for Ning to explain everything.

As they left the village, Ning guided them smoothly close to a river, and when it was Ruby's turn to take the lead, she rose her hand and nodded. "It is me, uh." She pursed her lips. She was a beastfolk, right? She was supposed to be good at tracking paths.

Pursing her lips, she cast a glance around and after looking up at the sky and opening her arms, at least moving to the South should be easy, right?

"Follow me-" She said, finally finding the South and guiding them. The problem was... That paths weren't usually a straight line, so turns and curves happened, and soon she had missed the South without realizing, bringing them to a completely different area.

Rolls

Expertise Check

1d100 (3) + 0 = 3

Awareness | Crimson Ruby | 316C1

Status: ✓ [] []
Play Sheet
@Bonnie Bonbon @Sol @Ru Ning

 

[Bonnie Bonbon]

100 / 100

You've yeed your last haw.

'Goblin blah, goblin bleh. I'm all for trynna negotiate stuff, but if any of 'em so much as touch any of ya guys I'm goin' high-noon on their butts.' she leaned away from the wall and adjusted her hat before checking her small bag of supplies one last time, 'I ain't gonna let some goblins touch a whistle.' Bonnie nodded to the lepis as she accepted the map. A sigh of annoyance escaped her nostrils as she read the contents; it was well crafted and contained the information they needed, so quality wasn't the issue. You see, the problematic situation she had found herself into was…

In a way, she hated geography. Even so, she nodded, giving off the impression she had just absorbed the needed information before tucking away the map into her bag. After holstering her revolvers, the blonde was ready to go. Before long they had departed, past the gates of honeyhome and into the relatively unexplored world of Terrasphere.

---

After reaching the river, however, something caught the attention of the Fae. Before her, the crimson tassel on Ruby's Jian was almost hypnotic. So much that when Bonnie came to, she realized they'd been wandering off somewhere else — a place that Bonnie just so happened to know.

'Aight, I think it's mighty time I take it from here, Kittykat.' The cowgirl patted the felis on her shoulder before speaking up. Upon taking lead of the expedition, the blonde spoke up as she guided them. 'Y'all see how this place here's lookin' darn tidy for a forest?' In fact, things such as dead branches, small rocks and other similar objects of nature were a rare sight on this one specific area — where she had first logged into the game.

'That means we got a nest of murder rabbits nearby. These lil' freaks eat anything and get everything around to stick it in their nest so their young can chew on it. They like huntin' at night, and If ya bonk one of 'em, git their feet and the ears. There's a granny northeast of Honeyhome who loves 'em and will trade it for potion stuff.

'Don't ya dare bring her the teeth. She's gonna grab ya by the ears and kick ya outta her hut. I'm sharin' this outta experience…' the blonde grimaced, hands reaching for her pointy ears. As she continued guiding them, the faerin couldn't keep her curiosity in check and decided to ask away.

'Hoi, Kittykat. How did ya get the fancy sword? It's lookin' mighty fine.'

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (47) + 0 = 47
Status: ✓❌ ✓ []
Awareness | Bonnie Bonbon | 316C1

Play Sheet Link

 

[Sol]

120 / 120

Biting into her little bun (the flavour being cherry, by the way), Sol received the map from Ru with her other hand, flicking it open with her fingers and tucking it in her free ones. Taking a quick glance over it as the bunny boy spoke, she nodded in acknowledgement before folding it up and putting it away in her belongings, taking another bite of her bun again, "Sounds easy enough." she commented at the side, ignoring the comments from the blonde ecstatic girl before following them out of the building. She did have a point, though. If things did go wrong, Sol had no issue going full battle mode, but she was willing to give the goblins the benefit of the doubt in this situation.

She followed along in the back of the group, staying quiet as they went along but paying attention to their direction. At first, they reached a river, and it was Ruby's turn to lead. It was then that they got a little off the path, finding themselves a little lost. A frown crossed Sol's face, but she didn't say anything to the group member about the mishap- Sol couldn't blame her for making a mistake in such a big world. She was actually quite glad for once when the blonde took the lead, finally finding themselves on the right path once again.

She actually found her comments the surrounding wild life kind of entertaining as they walked, trying to get a glance of one of the murder rabbits she commented on. It was then that the conversation switched topics to their own separate conversation, and Sol stepped forward, "Well, I guess that's me." Quickly, she pulled out her map, and then she set forward as she glanced up every now and then, getting a good glimpse of their surroundings as she tried to take in all the sights.

Her part of the trip was silent from her side, but it soon changed a little as she suddenly stopped when she realized they were not at the spot on the map they were supposed to be. Had she gotten them lost? "Err- Sorry, give me a moment," There was a beat of silence before Sol cleared her throat, turning around the map in her hand. How had she missed that it was upside down?

Back on the same path once again, Sol spoke up once more to the group, "My bad for leading us away from the path, we should be following the right direction now. Right?" Looking towards @Ru Ning as she spoke, she raised a red eyebrow in his direction. He seemed to know the way and area in a much more detailed way than they did, and honestly, Sol respected him for that.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (33) + 0 = 33
Awareness | Sol | 316c1
but wait

Expertise Check
1d100 (69) + 0 = 69 nice
Twice Activated (extra action granted) | Sol | 316c
Status: ✓❌✓✓

Play Sheet Link

 

[Ru Ning]

120 / 120

Current Mood: Ready for sleps

@Crimson Ruby - Though she headed the wrong direction, Jack was more than happy to follow along. After all, what was a journey without a few wrong twists and turns? Hopefully Ruby would learn from the experience so it wouldn't happen when in a pinch… but that seemed dubious. "Be mindful of the time of day and bearing of the sun. Those are your best tools during hours with light." Ru offered a short word of advice to improve her odds in the future.

@Bonnie Bonbon – The wildlife commentary was a welcome change of pace. "I'm not quite sure whether that checks out… but fact checking that seems rather dangerous in its own right. Best we hurry along before sun sets." He'd chuckle while letting the Fae do her thing, pocketing away that tidbit of information regarding the potion trader for a later date.

@Sol – Considering how late in the day things were getting, the Lepus considered speaking up to divert their misrouted path. His intent was cut short however as the woman let out a small gasp of disbelief… and inverted the map right side up. Providing a nod of affirmation, he'd give the lass a thumbs up with approval.

"Good news, we're right on track. Bad news is we've been at this for close to twelve hours now. About time we set up for camp, no?"

He'd motion for the group to come to a halt, pointing at a small divot nested between several hills. After setting his satchel down, Ru began to rummage through his bags while speaking to the rest of the group.

"This place should do the trick. Remember, it's usually best to camp somewhere with shelter from the wind; our scents won't carry as far. We'll want to scout for nearby animal dens too to avoid angering any buggers. Quick show of hands, did everyone bring rations? If not we'll need to forage too…"

The list went on and on as Ru gave a brief overview of the basics for outdoor survival. His hands moved nonstop while continuing to move around to prep the camp ground. The others would have to take arrange for some of the items he had gone over.

"Try to not rustle too many feathers out there. We'll be arriving at the outpost around noon if things go as planned… not that they ever seem to."

The last bit was muttered under his breath. Considering Murphy's Law, things were going a bit too smoothly for their first expedition.

Cycle 2: The Journey

• Secure food. (Knack – DC 20 – Higher is better. Can anyone cook?)
• Search the area for any unwanted presences. (Awareness – DC 35)
• Gather firewood and start a controlled fire (Mastery/Knack – DC 40)
• Status: ✓[] [] []
  • 3/4 for a restful night!

Play Sheet Link

@Bonnie Bonbon @Sol @Crimson Ruby

 

[Sol]

120 / 120

Current mood: Annoyed

Sol hadn't expected them to settle down for the night already, but she obliged, setting her own stuff off to the side slightly as she began to get herself ready for the night. At Ru's question about rations, she raised her hand as she pulled out a small amount she had brought with her. It wasn't a lot, but it was at least enough to get her through anything while they were here. Besides, they could always look for more.

I'm pretty set for now, I'll start working on a fire so if we catch anything we can cook it.

And thus, she set on her way, stepping out from the camp fire a little bit to find some sticks to make the fire with. Unfortunately, either she was having an off luck day or this forest was just not known for its big, healthy sticks, Sol only came back with an arm full of either thin sticks or tiny twigs. She had a rather stoic look on her face as she crossed over to the middle of the camp, clearing a space for the fire before beginning to carefully set up the sticks.

A couple minutes in, they all came falling down, to which she kissed her teeth and started again. And then, again they fell, causing Sol's eyebrows to furrow as she set them in a pile instead, had enough with what she was given. Then, moving her hand over the fire, the fire lit up in flames- Only to go out a moment later. Standing up silently, Sol moved back over to stuff, not making any eye contact with the rest of the group.

... I'll come back to it in a moment.

Rolls

Mastery Check
1d100 (30) + 5 = 35
Pyromancy | Sol | 316c2

Status: ✓❌[][]

Play Sheet Link

 

[Crimson Ruby]

120 / 120

Feeling a bit self-conscious

After the enormous fluke she had by bringing them to a completely wrong place, Ruby fell quiet on her own, standing a foot or two away from the rest of the group while feeling her chest tight with guilty. Something that she was only snapped off when the word 'Kittykat' caught her attention.

"My sword?" Ruby's tail slowly trailed to wrap around its grip and unsheath it, tossing it up so she could grab it. "It is a jian, my father has one... Outside." She referred to the real world, unsure of how to voice it without completely breaking the immersion. "So I wanted to have one as well, and a kind smith crafted me one after I helped him with a few chores-" A quite handful of chores, actually.

She looked at the blade, then at Bonnie again before offering it. "If you want to see it." She said, letting the smaller girl to hold it and touch it as much as she wished. After all, it was the least she could do after such a grave mistake.

Thanks to the others, they managed to go back to the right path, and a sigh of relief escaped from Ruby's lips.

Getting to the camp area, Ruby stretched herself, and after some roles were handed out, she glanced at Sol seeming to have some issues setting up some fire, but smiling reassuringly at her and then looking at Ning. "I will be going to take a look around then." She said, wanting to be a bit by herself for now. But not too much by herself.

Regardless if Bonnie gave back her sword or not, she stepped outside, taking a thoroughly look around, with double checks included, thanks to her Dynamism.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (30) + 0 = 30
Awareness | Crimson Ruby | 316C2

Twice Activated (extra action granted) | Crimson Ruby | 316C2

Expertise Check
1d100 (64) + 0 = 64
Awareness | Crimson Ruby | 316C2

Status: ✓✓[]
Play Sheet
@Bonnie Bonbon @Sol @Ru Ning

 

[Bonnie Bonbon]

100 / 100

heh

'Ooh, ya sure?? Lemme know who's the smith sometime, ya?' like a young girl asking her parents if it was fine to pick something valuable, she accepted it — having the sword on her hands had drawn a wide smile on her face. While in reality she wasn't some kind of smith, both her real world counterpart and herself were rather interested in all sorts of crafts, even if they weren't advanced tech. She was specially impressed with the sharpness and the detail that went on the tassel, but she didn't keep it long, fearing for being rude and returned it.

'I'm agreein'!' she stretched her arms high up in the air, 'Ain't no point in goin' too hard at it. Them goblins gonna goblin anyway.' her blue hues scanned the reactions of the rest of the group, and it seemed they had reached an agreement in the end.

With each one of them deciding on taking up on some activity for the overall well-being of the expedition, she decided to take part as well, 'Then I'm gonna fetch us some good stuff to munch. Yall can't believe how dis cowgirl here be skilled at making some good ol' grub, heh!' the blonde filled her chest with pride, hands resting on her hips as a smug grin adorned her baby face. She adjusted her hat, and before long, darted out of the scene in search of something for the group to eat.

---

Spoiler

After some time had gone by, the blonde was back, walking straight to the center of the campsite; on her arms, a pile of fruits of dubious origin that put the great pyramids to shame. As she released the fruits on top of her bag, the blonde's visage came into view.

Her confident smug grin, born from a confidence acquired by the whims of lady luck?

Gone.

Replaced by a stoic, shadowed face instead, the blues of her visage intently watched the [alien fruits] before glancing at her fellow travelers. 'Me fellow pardners, I believe we're facin' our furst challenge.' she unceremoniously plopped down near the fruits, lacking any sort of lady-like refinement.

… Inhale…

… Exhale. Hesitation gone in three, two, one…!

'I got two lives in mah pocket!' and with her last (?) words said, the fae took a daring bite out of one.

…
…
…

Soft. Sweet, like the most pristine honey out there, melting on her palate with little effort. Her blue eyes shot open, sparkling brighter than the eyes of all anime girls she had seen in reality in the past decade or so. The cowgirl stood up, munching away at the fruit while ignoring any words of warning and forgetting all consequences and needs — even breathing.

At long last, she finished.

'...I see now…' …Exhale. The intensity of her breathing was so strong that it conveniently summoned a cold breeze, prompting her to hold her stylish hat. Her lips parted, and…!

'To the town of Honeyhome rode a stranger one fine day…♫ '

'Hardly partied with travelers around him, didn't have much to say!♫ '

'No one dared to ask his masteries, no one dared to pick dyna-mism!♫ '

'For the stranger here amogus had a big iron on his hip…!♫ '​

With a dramatic turn on her heels, she tosses her cowboy hat into the air, with a smile wide enough to reach her ears and a deep blush on her face. Her hands reach for her revolvers, twirling them before pointing them at the sky - - -

'BIG IRON ON HIS HIIIIIIIIIII~IP!' her revolvers glowed, releasing martial energy fireworks up into the skies every time she pulled the trigger. Though it had a wonderful side effect (?), it appeared that, sadly, the fruit hadn't recovered even a single point of her needs meter.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (19) + 0 = 19
Status: ✓❌ ✓❌
Knack | Bonnie Bonbon | 316C2

Play Sheet Link
@Crimson Ruby @Sol @Ru Ning

 

[Ru Ning]

@Crimson Ruby – Your patrol was relaxing. Nothing of note popped out at you until the second time around. You spotted a lumbering bear enter a cave to the northwest of camp. It's probably best left alone unless you're that hungry. Do what you will with that information.

'BIG IRON ON HIS HIIIIIIIIIII~IP!'

Thunder boomed as if on cue as rain began to heavily torrent down upon the group. Thankfully Ru hadn't been idling in the time they had set out. Some tarps had been set up to form an overhead cover resembling a tent, as well as laid down to offer shelter from the dirt. Though not much, it'd at least keep the group mostly dry while the hills shielded against the wind. The quartet was in for a wet, cold, potentially hungry night however.

Having seen the Fae eat the strange fruit with such gusto, Ru wouldn't be able to resist as well. Taking a bite of the succulent fruit, his eyes widened with surprise as he'd munch on them happily. Though it did nothing for their food gauge, he seemed to really enjoy the unique flavors.

"Heeey! This is pretty good! Nice find Bonbon."

Between bites, he'd reach into his satchel, tossing a few actual rations towards the others.

"Not much, but enough to last us till we find the gobbies. Hopefully they have something we can take, I mean trade for."

Considering the current weather, it was unlikely for their troupe to run into other creatures while out in the wild. Most would be seeking shelter as well from the wind and rain.

"Let's take turns keeping watch for the night, 2 hours a pop."

And with that, he'd promptly roll over into a blanket for a nap, allowing the others to decide on an order amongst their selves. The rain continued to pour down, lighting cracking periodically in the distance as the wind slowly began to pick up.

Cycle 1: The Journey

• The weather is bad, the group's camp is rather squalid… but take this opportunity to have some fireside chats! Not literally of course, there's no fire…
• No checks required. Nothing in their right mind would venture out in this weather.
• Status: ✓✓✓✓

@Sol @Crimson Ruby @Bonnie Bonbon

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby watched attentively to the bear that was moving into the cave, hiding behind a tree to make sure she wouldn't be spotted. Her tail swayed gently, peeking her head out a bit more to see if she could spot anything else, but then--

KRAAAKOOOOM!​

Ruby's heart nearly leaped out of her chest, with her eyes growing wide as she jumped and stumbled, resting her back against the tree she was hiding and looking up at the fireworks exploding in the skies. Her eyes quickly darted toward the cave, and Ruby fled as fast as she could, just in case the bear decided to move out because of the noise.

---

With everyone together, Ruby was quick to warn about the surrounding danger. "I will just let you guys know that there is a bear's cave nearby, so we need to keep an eye out for it..." She said, then glancing at @Ru Ning and his instructions, "Alright, then it should be fine. Good night." Nodding quietly when he was going to sleep, dropping her ears and sighing.

For a moment she wondered if she should log out, but that would be troublesome for Ning, that didn't made his character dematerialize. Was he going to sleep in game for real? Peeking at the other two, more specifically at @Bonnie Bonbon

"Bonbon, you really scared me there, I was paying attention to everything and you suddenly blew everything up" She sighed, taking fruit and biting it, letting out a sigh and glancing at @Sol.

"And you? Are you feeling better now?" Ruby asked, continuing to munch the fruit in her hand.

Play Sheet

 

[Sol]

Sol had broken out of her sulking when @Bonnie Bonbon suddenly started singing loudly, looking on with a mixed expression of confusion, concern, and annoyance from the sidelines. But as soon as she finished her song it immediately began to pour rain, which brought a long sigh out of Sol's mouth as she darted into cover. Thankfully a little earlier she had moved her stuff into safety or it would've been soaking wet as well.

Receiving the rations and putting them away in her bag for later when she was a little more snacky, she nodded at @Ru Ning, "Thanks for that," She raised an eyebrow as she caught onto his misspeak, but grabbed a fruit as well before sitting down by the entrance of the tent, careful to try and not get wet by the rain, "I'll go first for watch, just make sure you guys get rest. I'll be waking one of you up in exactly two hours." she told them, nodding a goodnight at the bunny boy before turning her gaze back towards the dark, preparing for the cold, wet night ahead.

It was than that a soft voice spoke to her, and Sol turned to look at @Crimson Ruby, her little paint friend from before. She smiled very slightly at her, one that disappeared almost a moment after it was there as she nodded, "Yup, I'm good. Was just frustrated I couldn't do anything to help the group," Looking out into the darkness, she sighed a little, "I should've been able to get the fire burning, especially on a night like tonight," Holding out her hand in front of her, a little ball of fire formed in her hands. It danced playfully up towards her, to which she held it out over to the red cat girl, "If you hold it, it should keep you a little warm." She nodded at her with another small smile, before turning towards the dark and sighing again, muttering softly under her breath, Good thing this is a game and we can log out whenever we want... Hopefully they take advantage of that, I know I will.

 

[Bonnie Bonbon]

As if some silly rain could ruin the stupor and euphoria caused by the mysterious fruit! Jumping on her feet and continuing to shoot into the skies, Bonnie was far too energetic to hide from the downpour. Alas, she was far from being prepared to face the might of mother nature, and soon enough the Fae was sitting alongside Sol and Ruby, teeth clattering louder than a moonwalking skeleton with a gun. Blue hues focused on the felis, and she ventured into her own mind to find an answer to the redhead's question —- yet none came to mind.

The blonde glanced at her things; drenched, of course.

'I dunno, kittykat. After I munched on that thing I felt like I was hella drunk…Brrr…' her grit now gone, the fae hugged her diminutive frame and shivered down to her core. 'Tho' I guess that's, a good thing, ye. I oughtta learn to not eat whatever I found layin' around…' she removed her stylish and totally not-oversized western hat and put it on top of her bag in some feeble hope that it'd dry by sunrise. She clenched her fist before opening it to access her palm menu, realizing that not only did the fruits restore not a single point of hunger; her temperature meter had taken a drastic dip.

'H-heh… Ain't that a chill in the back…Uuuugh…' her blue eyes focused on the taller redhead out of the duo, speaking up after she was done speaking, 'I be guessin' this is fine, really. Stuff like this make ya learn. Ya gotta ju- brrrrr, just make one hella lemonade from a-all the lemons tossed at ya.' she tried to grin, but her clattering teeth were not having it.

'Maybe imma trade some of 'ese fruits with 'em goblins. Heh, bet they won't see it comin'!'

@Crimson Ruby @Sol @Ru Ning

 

[Ru Ning]

Though a tumultuous storm continued to brew overhead, the night passed by rather uneventfully. Having been woken from his slumber by the most rowdy of the lot, Ru rubbed his eyes gingerly while letting out a soft yawn. With the storm having mostly passed, the smell of fresh dew filtered into his noise, a pleasant feeling to say the least.

"Good work, I'll take it from here."

Left with nothing save for the strange fruit and some hard tack rations, the lepus opted to get creative, turning some of the fruit into a jam like slurry by grinding it between two rocks. When the rest of group joined him (either by waking up or returning into the game), what awaited them was some lightly toasted bread smeared in his concoction.

"A bit cliché, but let's take this for the road?"

A tall structure off in the distance eventually signaled Glenwood Outpost. Quite a bit away still, Ru turned to the others while looking around. A frown formed upon his face after not finding whatever it was he was looking for. After a brief moment of indecision, he'd tug on the golden whistle dangling from his neck, blowing on it five times. Long, long, short, short, short. Though not confident in the instructions provided to him by the League, he had opted to trust in their intel.

"Hope that senior from the League was right. Everything else was so far… Get ready to book it if things head south though…"

Given a few minutes, the party would spot what appeared to be a group of goblin warriors lazily approaching. His hand raised to flag them down, the lepus' legs trembled ever so slightly as if ready to dash after having eaten his fill. Ru's concerns were proven unnecessary however as the opposing band motioned for their group to enter.

Upon entering, several things became immediately obvious. One, the outpost had been repurposed into a supply depot, as giant mounds of various goods could be seen being packed away on carts. Two, a rather large goblin in particular oversaw the operation, a rumored champion capable of dwarfing the average human. Currently in conversation, the champion waved away his underling, turning towards the group in broken common as he spoke with great confidence.

"Red whistle spoke of arrival. Baby whistles, want holy stone yes? Ritual of growing. What can give? Busy."

Cycle 2: Glowstone Acquisition

• Make offers to barter with the champion for glowstone. (Group Roll: Expertise – Presence, DC 60 for 1 portion. Failing by 15 or more will offend the champion and end negotiations with that player.
• Or… try to pocket a share while no one's looking (Expertise – Knack, DC 40, failing by 5 or more might result in trouble for the group… Crits (x2 DC) yield an extra share.)
• You can attempt multiple rolls in a single post. RP them in the order they're rolled. Fortune favors the bold. Or is this just greed?...
• Status: [] [] [] []

Play Sheet Link

@Sol @Crimson Ruby @Bonnie Bonbon

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"That fruit does have an interesting taste though-" She nodded to Bonnie, pondering for a moment. "... It tickles my head a bit," Ruby admitted, swaying her tail and then glancing at Sol, twitching her ear when she mentioned she would watch the first hours

When she caught Sol's attention with the question, she listened attentively to her answer, shaking her head. "You helped to get our path back to track when I screwed up, I think you are helping plenty." She said, trying to reassure the fellow beastfolk. Her eyes then shifted to the small flame that Sol summoned for her. "Huh-" Ruby blinked surprised, looking at her. "To me?" She muttered a question, then smiled. "Thank you, I will keep it safe." Her tail wagged, and she looked at Bonnie again.

"Maybe if you get them drunk enough, we will be able to get their stuff for free." She said to the fearin, holding the flame closely and then nodding a good night for both of them, going to sleep but not logging out, just in case they needed her.

---

In the following day, Ruby woke up with her usual felis routine, stretching in a way that would be humanly impossible, showing flexibility and dexterity before following the rest of the group for their objective. Next to her, the flame continued to burn firmly, circling her.

Being in a good mood, Ruby skipped cheerfully, nearing Ning when he started blowing the whistle, making her ears drop. "Does that really work, Ning?" She asked, and quickly, the goblins answered her question with a practical 'yes'.

Almost instinctively, Ruby hid behind the lepus, glancing behind her back to look at Sol and Bonnie before sheepishly peeking her head out. She wasn't really one to do business, but she attempted something-

"What about... Music?" She swayed her tail. "You have a god, don't you? How about a music for the god in exchange for the holy stone?" Ruby suggested.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (84) + 10 = 94
Presence | Crimson Ruby | 316C2

Play Sheet
@Bonnie Bonbon @Ru Ning @Sol

 

[Sol]

☀˚̣⋅ .

Sol smiled very slightly at the small beast folks sympathies, nodding slightly as she took the flame from her. She was about to turn around and begin her 2 hour watch when the chattering of @Bonnie Bonbon reached her ears, eyeing up her from the corner of bright purple eyes. She tapped her leg a couple times before a sigh escaped her lips for the gazillionth time that day, forming another flame in her hand before passing it over to her. She might as well, besides she was partially responsible and not entirely sure she could deal with her chattering the entire time, “Don’t run around in the rain next time.” She quipped at her.

She was silent for a couple more moment before she lit another small ball in her hands, playing with it carefully between her fingers as she pondered over her words, “It’s not a bad idea.” If they tricked the goblins with the promise with a fresh, delicious delicacy, then things might go over easy peasy… Right? Looking up as she cast her gaze out in the dark, Sol sighed once again, the sigh mixing into a hum as she closed her mouth and prepared for the night.

---

When the next morning came, Sol logged back onto the game just in time. Once her watch had completed she had woken up the next person and then promptly logged out once her body hit the ground to avoid dealing with any of the chilly consequences. She had taken a small nap, had an irl snack break, finished a small sketch for her next painting idea, and then logged back in when her timer went up.

Standing up in game, she gave a small stretch to get the kinks out of her body and nodded at the rest of them in greeting before receiving morning nourishment from @Ru Ning, saying a quick ‘Thank you‘ as she dug into the small breakfast. And then, they were off.

They walked for a bit before they stopped and Sol stepped forward, hand on her hip as she glanced around the area, looking out for anything that seemed suspicious. She watched as Ru blew on the whistle, about to open her mouth to ask him what they were to expect, when goblins suddenly approached them in a group. She kept an even gaze on them incase they tried anything, tapping a finger against her waist, "Well... That's convenient." She mumbled, before following the rest inside.

Entering the building, Sol took one look around and rested her eyes on the big one. He must be the one in charge here. Some kind of champion? Whatever he was, it didn't matter to her. He was just a single enemy amongst a sea of enemies in this world that was video game. Now, what was the best way to go about this. She could just politely ask for some, but that would be boring, no?

Watching as @Crimson Ruby stepped forward, obviously nervous, Sol stepped forward as well to back her up. Intimidation could work, as long as she wasn't too aggressive, "We've got that, and some rare fruits that we've brought in exchange as well," She spoke slowly and evenly, keeping eye contact with the large guy. Her gaze and body language basically didn't give any room to budge on the subject, tilting her head towards Ruby with a glance in her direction as well as giving an open for Bonnie and her fruits, then looking back at him, expression firm and intense, "I suggest you give her a listen."

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (90) + 10 = 100
Presence | Sol | 316C2

Play Sheet

 

[Ru Ning]

@Crimson Ruby – The champion nods thoughtfully at your offer and agrees. Honoring their god will bring them good fortune and great honor, something hard to come by in these peaceful times. Be prepared to perform shortly. You have obtained glowstone.

@Sol – Though skeptical at the edibility of these fruits, the champion sniffs it carefully while consulting another nearby goblin. The smaller one takes a bite and waves his hands around enthusiastically while exclaiming something in a tongue you don't quite understand. They agree to the trade. You have obtained glowstone.

Contemplating for a long moment as he watched his companions succeed one by one, the lepus noticed several strained goblins resting in a corner of the camp. It was apparent that they were in need of medical attention given the various symptoms each displayed. Perhaps they had been overworked at the outpost while seeing to their duties? Either way, with each successful proposal the pressure continued to mount. It'd be a bit embarrassing for him to fail at this point.

"You seem to lack a shaman. In exchange, how about I tend to your sick as well?"

The champion stared long and hard at Ru's gaunt figure, eyes flickering back towards the dead weight settled off to the side. It was true, their shaman was away tending to other business. Though the matter could be simply taken care of upon their return, the loss of productivity had become noticeable. After contemplating for a long hard moment, their unplanned staring contest was broken as he simply nodded with assent, his reluctance clear.

With their groups having settled upon an agreement, the champion turned around, giving several orders to the others before lumbering away.

"Trade honored. Do as promised, get holy stone. Leave by tonight."

A sigh of relief sounded from Ru's lips as their trades had gone rather smoothly. Scurrying over to the wounded, he'd set to his task almost immediately, assessing their various ailments while setting proper splints or invoking an eerie blue magic as he deemed necessary. Several hours later, after tending to the last patient, a small pouch containing the goods he sought was promptly delivered.

Rolls

Expertise Check
1d100 (55) +5 = 60
Presence | Ru Ning | 316C2

Cycle 2: Glowstone Acquisition

• Roleplay out your trades and get paid!
• Status: ✓ ✓ ✓ [ ? ]

@Sol @Crimson Ruby @Bonnie Bonbon